


The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

by eyesofshinigami



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, so much Christmas it'll make you sick
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-05
Updated: 2015-12-10
Packaged: 2018-05-05 03:13:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 5,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5359004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eyesofshinigami/pseuds/eyesofshinigami
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Twenty-five holiday-themed ficlets from the 1d25daysprompts challenge over on Tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, I decided to do the 25 days challenge over on Tumblr. Each ficlet will be 500 words and stand-alone. I'll be posting one a day for the next twenty days (as five of them have already been posted!) I'll tag each one of them in the notes so you can decide if you want to skip that one or keep going. Rating may go up later, and more tags to be added as we go along.
> 
> Happy holidays!

 

"So, heading home?"

The sudden question breaks Harry out of his thoughts and draws his attention away from the window. He blinks and the face of the stranger that had spoken comes into focus.

"Uh, yeah. You?" he asks.  
The stranger smiles and it lights up his whole face. It reminds Harry of fairy lights and long walks in the snow. "Yup. Heading back up to Doncaster to spend the holiday with my family," he says, blue eyes twinkling. "Two weeks of too many siblings and me mum's home cooking. I can't wait."

"That sounds lovely," Harry replies genuinely. He thinks about his own holiday plans, making gingerbread with his mum and going last minute Christmas shopping with Gemma. It'll be a good distraction from his thoughts, about the empty flat and empty bed that'll be waiting for him when he returns. Fucking Jacob. 

He must be frowning, because the stranger touches his arm. "What about you, mate? Going home to see the family?" 

Harry sighs. "Yeah. Glad to be getting away from it all, if I'm honest." He doesn't know why he wants to open up to this stranger, with his soft blue eyes and snow-white smile.

"It's been a rough couple of months." He rubs his hand across his forehead and curses under his breath. "Sorry, you don't care-"

"Nonsense. You sound like you need to talk, so let's talk. I'm Louis, by the way," the stranger, Louis, says as he holds out his hand. 

Harry takes it, warmed. "'M Harry. I just don't want to bore you," he mumbles as he looks down. His hands are folded and he can see where the skin is still healing around his fingernails, picked until it bled from all the sleepless nights and caustic words he's had to deal with lately. When he glances back up, Louis just motions for him to start talking.  
So he does. He tells Louis about finding Jacob in bed with another man, about how it wasn't the first time but somehow that made it Harry's fault. He doesn't know how long he talks for, but Louis just listens and it all spills out and suddenly Harry feels lighter than he has in weeks. 

"He sounds like a right cunt. You're better off without him," Louis scoffs, patting Harry on the arm again. "You'll get through it. Beautiful boys like you always do." He winks, and Harry feels heat crawl up his neck. 

Before he can speak again, the train shudders to a stop. It can't be over now, not when he's just about to ask Louis about himself. 

"This is me. It was good to meet you, Harry," Louis says as he gathers his things. He leans close and kisses Harry on his cheek, pressing something into his hand before he disappears down the busy aisle. 

Harry looks down and realizes there's a scrap of paper in his hand, numbers scrawled across it. He can't help but smile at his very own Christmas miracle.


	2. Day 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _**prompt: ice crystals, candles, cooking.** _

There's many reasons that this is Louis' favorite time of year.

It's the smell of Harry's home cooking wafting in the air. It's the ridiculous sight of his best friends and his boyfriend prancing around his flat in matching Christmas sweaters that Harry found in a dollar bin at Selfridges. It's the soft glow of the holiday candles around the flat, scenting the air with a pleasant mix of pine trees and candy canes.

He can't help but smile.

"Lou? You all right?" Harry asks, coming up behind him. Familiar arms wrap around his waist and Louis feels the long line of Harry's body pressed against his back. "You're missing cookie decorating. Niall's already managed to get frosting in Liam's nose AND Zayn's hair."

"And I missed that? How silly of me," Louis murmurs. His lips curve up in a smile and he sighs at the warmth expanding in his chest. It feels like forever since they've had the chance to do this, to spend the holidays together without constant obligations and never-ending schedules. After the up and down of last year, with fights and meltdowns and too much going on, Louis feels like he can finally breathe. "Let's just stay here a minute, yeah?"

Harry hums and tightens his arms. They stand by the window and watch the snow fall, the way that the ice crystals are blooming on the glass.

Louis doesn't know how long they stand there, wrapped up in each other, but it must be too long because soon they find themselves nearly barrelled over. Of course it's Niall, his nose dotted with frosting and what looks like sprinkles in his hair. "Would you two stop being so goddamn gross and get over here? We've almost finished decorating!"

"It's a good thing I've got more in the oven, isn't it?" Harry grumps, but Louis can feel his smile curving against his neck. "I swear, you're like a toddler."

"I'll show you toddler!" Niall scoffs and rubs his nose on Harry's cheek, leaving a smear of frosting. Harry shrieks and soon he's chasing Niall around the living room with his fist in the air. If anyone could see them now, they'd never believe that they're all grown men in their twenties.

"The more things change, the more they stay the same, right?" Liam chuckles. He rests against the windowsill and Louis can smell the cider on his breath, sweet and spicy with just a hint of whiskey that Niall had slipped in.

He watches as they nearly flatten Zayn in their ridiculousness, so naturally he stands up and joins the fray. It's so silly but it makes Louis' heart pound with how happy he is.

"Never thought it would be like this again, if I'm honest."

"Shows you what you know, doesn't it?" Liam teases, nudging him with his shoulder. "I'm just glad we're all together again, you know? Best Christmas ever, I'd say."

Louis nods, smile on his face. He couldn't have said it better himself.


	3. Day 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **_prompt: walking in a winter wonderland_ **

Harry hums as they walk along the path, clutching Louis' hand tightly in his own. The trees are twinkling with lights and decorations and the way it sparkles against the snow makes Harry feel like he's a child again. "This is gorgeous, Lou. Thanks for bringing me here." 

"Of course, love. You said you wanted to go, so here we are," Louis replies, squeezing his hand tighter. 

A comfortable silence falls between them as they walk, even with the sounds of children laughing and carolers singing in the distance. Christmas is only two weeks away and Harry can't wait. He thinks back to the decorations they've hung in their little flat, the one that they managed to cobble together the funds for just six months ago. It's not much but it's theirs and Harry is excited for their first Christmas there.

"Fancy a ride on the Carousel?" Louis asks, pulling Harry back to the present. They've stopped in front of large merry-g0-round and Harry feels his eyes go wide. "I know how much you love it."

"Only if you ride with me," Harry says, pulling Louis towards the line. He hops from foot to foot as they wait, ignoring the looks from the other patrons. 

Louis chuckle and wraps his arms around Harry to pull him close, to stop him from fidgeting. "I suppose so. Just because of how cute you are." He kisses Harry on the cheek, his nose cold and making Harry giggle. 

The line starts to move and Harry scrambles onto a pretty white horse, as Louis heads for the black one next to it. He knows Louis is only doing this for his benefit, but that's why his boyfriend is the best. "Can we take a pic?" Harry asks. Louis nods and he snaps a quick picture of them, both of them beaming and Harry makes a note to put it on Instagram later.

The familiar melody of the carousel starts to play as the ride kicks up and Harry starts to laugh as they spin. He glances over at Louis. "Isn't this great?" he asks, loud and bright. 

"Sure is, Haz."

They go around and around and when the ride stops, Harry is dizzy with laughter and happiness. "That was so great. Thank you!" Harry starts to walk away, but Louis tugs him to a standstill. 

"Anything for you, you know that. But it's not over yet."   
Harry's brow furrows and he cocks his head to the side, confused until Louis drops to one knee. His mouth drops open and his heart starts to skip in his chest. There's no way Louis would...would he?

"I know this is probably stupid, but...will you marry me?" Louis asks, pulling a black square box from his pocket. Inside is a simple platinum band, engraved with a beautiful infinity knot that matches the one on Louis' wrist. 

Harry's eyes fill with tears and it takes him a moment to catch his breath. "Holy shit, Lou, of course I will!"


	4. Day 4

Everyone knows the best place to get hot chocolate is at a little bakery in Central London. It's owned by a tall man with curls and twinkly green eyes. He and his husband took it over when the lady who owned it couldn't roll the bread out anymore. So, Harry does the baking, and Louis runs everything else. 

It's Niall's favorite place to go.

He often lugs his textbooks there, even if it means forty-five minutes on the tube. Anything for a cup of Harry's legendary hot chocolate, complete with homemade marshmallows. It's become his second home, away from the constant movement of his dorm. It's where he goes when he can't quell the feeling of homesickness that sometimes settles in his stomach, especially near the holidays. 

Today is just like any other day. Harry calls out to him from the back and Louis asks him how his classes are going as he rings him up. A cup of hot chocolate and a cranberry scone, the same thing he gets every time he comes. 

Except today, there's something different. Sitting at his usual table is probably the most beautiful man Niall has ever seen. His dark hair falls across his forehead in elegant sweeps and his cheekbones are the stuff of legends. Normally the chattiest in any situation, Niall is actually struck speechless. 

He has no idea how long he stands there like a knob, mouth hanging open and holding his treats out in front of him. Until the ethereal being in front of him looks up and smiles, amber eyes crinkling behind his glasses. "Hi there," he says, voice thick and smoky. 

"You're at my table," Niall blurts. If his hands weren't full, he would smack himself. 

The other man looks around and then shrugs. "Sorry? This table was just closest to the heater. I can move-?"

"No!" Niall yells, heat crawling up his neck. He's probably gone scarlet. "No, we can share. If you don't mind, that is. Um." What was wrong with him? He sits down heavily and immediately shoves scone into his mouth so he doesn't embarrass himself further. 

"That would be perfect, actually. I could use the company. I'm Zayn." He glances down at the stack of books Niall had dumped onto the table. "A business major? How fancy."

"Yeah," Niall squeaks. He clears his throat and tries again. "I'm Niall. Nice to meet you." 

Zayn's eyes crinkle again and Niall's stomach does loopty-loops. "I know. I've seen you in here before. You're always so bright, it's hard to miss you." 

What is he even supposed to say to that? "Um, not sure how I missed you. You're clearly the prettiest human on the planet." He bites his lip as soon as the words finish tumbling out. He can almost imagine Louis cackling at him already. "Do... do you want to share my hot chocolate with me? It's the best in London." 

Zayn smiles again, all teeth and sparkly eyes. "Sure, I would love to." 


	5. Day 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _**prompt: imagine your protagonist(s) is/are one of Santa’s elves. Its three weeks until Christmas, and Santa’s workshop is bustling. Describe a day in their life.** _

"Goddamn shitting fuck!" Louis yells, sticking his finger in his mouth. It's the second time today that he's smashed his finger with a hammer.

"Language!" he hears Liam call out from down the work table. It's amazing that he even managed to overhear him, what with all the noise going on in the workshop. 

It's only three weeks until Christmas, crunch time for all the elves. It feels like they've been at it day and night making all the toys that Santa could possibly need. The workshop is abuzz with the sounds of hammers, tinkering, and Niall's incessant need to hum "Jingle Bell Rock."

Louis is quite ready for it all to be over with, if he's honest.

"Hey, you okay? That looked like it hurt," a sweet voice asks from behind him. Louis turns around and of course, it's Harry. He softens and butterflies swoop in his belly as Harry lifts his fingers to his lips to kiss them softly. "Need you to keep these fingers in working order, silly."

Louis scoffs. "You would say that. Not like we have time for any of that right now. We're worked to the bone."   
Harry just smiles, dimple appearing in the corner of his mouth. "Yeah, but it's worth it, right? All those happy kids. Besides, we'll have all the time in the world for fun stuff after Christmas."

Louis picks up his tools and starts working on the wooden boat he was making. "You and I are going somewhere warm. I'm thinking Hawaii," he gripes, but he smiles when he hears Harry giggle. 

The two of them fall into a companionable silence as they work, Harry occasionally bumping his hip or leaning close to kiss him on the tip of his pointed ear. It makes the time go by, having his boyfriend right there working beside him. He even starts to hum along with Niall, who has moved onto "Winter Wonderland." 

The door opens at the front of the workshop and in walks Santa himself, glancing around the room at the busy droves of elves. "All right everyone. You've been working hard enough, everyone has earned a break this afternoon!" he calls out merrily. 

A cheer goes up and immediately the elves start bustling around to clean up their workstations. "This is fantastic. What should we do with our newfound freedom?" Harry asks, though his grin gives him away. 

Louis knows exactly what they're going to do. He leans close and brushes his lips along the shell of Harry's ear. "I'm going to take you back to our cottage and I'm going to fuck you until you can't walk, that's what we're going to do," he says with a dirty grin. 

"Language!" Liam calls out again, and Louis rolls his eyes. 

"Piss off, Liam. Harry and I have very important matters to attend to." He grabs a red-faced Harry by the wrist and drags him out of the workshop. They spill, giggling, out onto the cobbled streets and head home.


	6. Day 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **  
> _prompt:[this song right here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QY4qiq1pXac&feature=youtu.be)_  
>  **

If there is one thing that Zayn absolutely loathes, it's Christmas music. There is just something that gets under his skin about it, how fake and joyful and ridiculous it is. It might have something to do with the fact that every store in the entire world starts playing it right after Thanksgiving. Some of them go so far as to start the day after Halloween and that's definitely not okay.

He doesn't even celebrate Christmas, for fuck's sake.

And yet, here he is, wandering around the mall with Louis and Liam. That damnable music is assaulting his senses from every single direction and Zayn is pretty sure he's in hell.  
"Why couldn't we just do what normal people do and do our shopping online? This is absolute madness," he mutters. He curses when yet another person shoves past him and he's pretty sure his eye is twitching.

Louis turns around and fixes him with a look of absolute horror. "But Zayn, Harry says that it offers a more personal touch when you buy it yourself," he says with a snort, like Zayn had said something particularly stupid. Funny, because that's how he usually looks at Louis, if he's honest.

"Harry says, Harry says," Zayn mocks under his breath. Don't get him wrong, he really likes Louis' new boyfriend, but occasionally it seemed like Louis' brain stopped working properly when Harry was involved. "This better get your brain sucked out through your cock, or this trip will have been useless."

He ignores Louis' glare and nudges Liam, who laughs out loud. "You can fuck right off, Zayn," Louis snaps before heading off into one of those weird hipster stores Harry's so fond of.

"Want to go get some ice cream?" Liam asks after a beat.

"Sure thing. Better than trying to go get him when he's in a snit."

They make their way through the crowds of people to the food court, which is unsurprisingly just as busy as the rest of the mall. After standing in line for what seems like eons, they get their ice cream and have a seat. Liam had insisted on paying, much to Zayn's chagrin."I really hate Christmas shopping, but don't tell Louis," Liam admits, cheeks pinking.

Zayn pauses mid-lick and starts to chuckle. "Secret's safe with me. The things we do for our friends. It's a good thing I like Harry," he replies, crunching on his cone.

"But it's been really nice spending some extra time with you. We should do this more often." Liam's cheeks get even pinker and Zayn nearly drops his ice cream.

"Did you... just ask me out on a date?" Zayn asks cautiously.

"I did. I figured why not, right? If not, I could just pass it off as a laddy dude bro pal thing."

Zayn feels his face heat up and his belly flutters. "Well, you know... I think I'd really like that," he replies with a smile.

Maybe this trip to the mall was worth it.


	7. Day 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> picture prompt

"I just can't handle it, Haz. It's just so... obnoxious looking. You can probably see that house from space!" Louis gripes from where he's peering out of their curtains. 

Harry has to bite his lip. He's been listening to Louis complain about their neighbor's festive display in their yard since it went up after Thanksgiving. He loves Louis, but he's about had it with just how personally Louis seems to be taking this.

"Papa, is Dad complaining about the neighbors again?" Olivia whispers, looking up from her Christmas coloring book. Apparently, Harry isn't the only one. She glances over to where Louis is still looking out, frowning so hard Harry's sure he's getting lines. "Why doesn't he just go ask Mr Nelson to take them down?"

Harry sets down a plate of sugar cookies and sits down next to her. "Because that's not really polite, Liv. The neighbors can decorate their house however they want to." _Even if Louis kind of does have a point_ , he doesn't add. He takes a bite of cookie before he starts working on their holiday cards again. 

They work in silence, only the occasional grumpy mutter from the lounge upsetting their companionable quiet. Harry's almost finished addressing envelopes and Liv is making some serious headway with her coloring page for Nana Deakin. 

"I'VE GOT IT. WHERE'S THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS, HARRY?" Louis suddenly bellows, running into the kitchen like his arse is on fire. 

Harry blinks at his husband. "They're... in the garage?" he answers hesitantly. He recongizes that glint in Louis' eyes and knows nothing good can come from it. 

Louis takes off like a shot, leaving Harry and Olivia to stare at each other in bewilderment. "Papa, I think Dad is up to something. Should we go check on him?"

He sighs and shakes his head, leaning over to drop a kiss on her feathery hair. "No, baby. It's best to just let Dad do this thing. I'm sure we'll find out whatever it is later," he reassures her. Still, that doesn't stop Harry from keeping an ear out in case something goes wrong.

\--

Harry should have known better. Twelve years of being with Louis Tomlinson should have taught him that his husband is like a toddler. Dangerous without supervision. 

Which is why their house is currently decorated with a gigantic "TWAT" written out in Christmas lights, complete with an arrow. He doesn't really need to elaborate where it's pointing. "Louis..." he starts. 

"C'mon Haz, I'm just saying what everyone else is thinking! Besides, it'll be a right laugh," Louis argues, pouting his lips. He's playing dirty, knowing that Harry can't resist that look, whether it's Louis or Olivia giving it to him. 

Harry knows when he's beat. "Fine, but you get to explain to our daughter what it means."

Louis kisses his cheek and wraps his arm around Harry's waist. "I'll take that deal. God, I can't wait until tonight to light this sucker up. This is going to be epic."

 


	8. Day 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **_prompt: flickering, bayberry, ribbons_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one references back to Day 7

There are ribbons _everywhere_. 

When Harry came downstairs this morning, the last thing he expected was for his lounge to look like Santa's workshop had exploded all over it. There's tinsel hanging from the ceiling fan, bits of wrapping paper strung about like holiday confetti, and in the middle of all of it, stands a very sheepish looking Louis and Olivia. They're both covered in glitter and tape and what appears to be red paint. 

He doesn't even want to know.

"So, um... there may have been complications with our plans this morning," Louis starts to explain, but Harry holds up his hand. 

It's not like he isn't used to this sort of chaos. How can he, living with two Tomlinsons?

"I'm going to go back upstairs. I'm going to run a bath with my lovely bayberry scented candles flickering on the side. Then, I'm going to come downstairs again. Please have this cleaned up and then you can show me what you did?"

The other two give each other a look, silently communicating, before they nod in unison. As they set off to their appointed task, Harry pinches the bridge of his nose and turns to head back up the stairs. That bath sounds really really good right now.

\--

Once he feels like he's sufficiently calm, Harry heads back downstairs for the second time that morning. The lounge is clean and finally Harry gets a good look at what the two of them were working on. The tree is trimmed, the mantel is decorated, and there are several adorable holiday-themed pictures hung on the walls. Harry's heart feels like it might beat out of his chest.

"Surprise, Papa!" Olivia screeches as she jumps on the couch. Her little face is still smeared with paint, but Harry can overlook it because her smile is bright. "Dad said we should take care of the decorating since you're taking care of everything else." Her words tumble out in a rush and she presses a kiss to his cheek, before hopping off the couch. She tugs him by the wrist to where Louis is busy in the kitchen. 

"Pancakes are almost ready," Louis says, kissing Harry warmly. "Sorry about the mess this morning. We had planned on cleaning before you woke up, but Little Miss here had some last-minute ideas." 

Harry wraps his arms around Louis' waist, resting his chin on his shoulder. The pancakes are in little snowman shapes, which is so cute Harry can barely stand it. "It's fine. Everything looks wonderful. Thank you so much for that." He smiles into Louis' neck. How he got so lucky, he'll never know. One less thing that he has to worry about with all the other holiday stuff going on. Almost makes up for the "twat" still written on the outside of their house. 

Olivia wraps herself around his leg and they stand like that in the kitchen, all tangled up in each other. It's the perfect way to spend their morning.


	9. Day 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **_prompt: _____ double checked their wallet. $10.43- that was all the money they had to buy Christmas gifts for ______ **

Liam double checks his wallet. $10.43-that is all the money he had to buy Christmas gifts for his family. He can't believe that he's left his debit card at home, and there was no way he's going to try and brave the shopping mall again this close to Christmas. 

He could smack himself, really.

He sits down heavily on the bench and lets out a sigh. So much for being organized and prepared. His mother was going to be so disappointed in him.

"Hey there. You look like you need some help?" a chipper voice asks. He looks up to see a friendly-looking blonde smiling down at him, his arms filled with packages and bags. "Sorry if I'm being rude, but you just look like you're having a pretty shit day."

Liam huffs out a laugh. "Just forgot my debit card at home. Frustrated, I guess." Why he's telling this to a complete stranger is beyond him, but there's something about this boy. "I guess I'll just head back home and try again another day."

Before he can get up, the boy stops him. "Do you have a lot to get? I know we don't know each other, but I could help you out?"

"Why...why would you do that?" Liam asks, stunned. Things like this only happen in the movies. He almost starts looking around to see if he's on camera. 

The boy shrugs. "I don't know. I like being nice, and why not? Tis the season and all that. C'mon. I'll help you out." He nods at Liam to follow him. "I'm Niall, by the way. And you didn't answer my question."

"L-Liam, and no. Just for my parents and my two sisters. I wasn't going to get anything fancy," he stutters out, moving to catch up with Niall. "I really appreciate this. Really, really appreciate it."

Niall turned around and flashed Liam another wide smile. "You can pay me back my taking me out on a date," he says with a wink, unashamed. 

Liam's face flushes and he almost trips over his own feet. "Um, that's. Okay. We can do that." Heat prickles down his neck. The last thing he thought he'd end up with today was a date with a cute boy AND presents for his family. Louis is going to laugh himself sick when Liam tells him. As if Louis didn't meet his boyfriend when the other lad peed on him in a club bathroom. He really has no room to talk, but that never stopped Louis.

"You don't have to, if you don't want to. I'm not forcing you," Niall says, pulling Liam out of his thoughts. "I mean-"

"No, I'd really like that. Just not what I expected to happen today, if I'm honest." He boldly laces their fingers together, pleased when he sees Niall's cheeks color. "It might have to wait though. I've only got ten dollars on me right now."

"I think that can be arranged," Niall replies, grinning like a loon.


	10. Day 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **_prompt: "'Come on," _______ said. "Go Christmas caroling with us. It will be fun!'"_ **

"Come on," Niall said. "Go Christmas caroling with us. It will be fun!" he said. 

Harry was never listening to Niall again. "You're unbelievable. What is my mum going to think?" he snarls, folding his hands across his chest. He probably looks more adorably ruffled than angry, but whatever. Harry's pissed. 

It had started out innocently enough. Harry likes Christmas carols and he really loves singing, so he hadn't given any thought to turning down Niall's invitation. After picking up some of Niall's other friends, they started making their rounds. The first few houses went off without a hitch. It was about the tenth house or so when as soon as they started singing, the most cantankerous old man Harry had ever seen comes out onto the porch. He started yelling at them to get off his lawn, they sounded like shit, he was going to call the cops, etc. 

Well, apparently Niall wasn't going to stand for that. He started yelling back about old cunts and no Christmas spirit and before Harry knew it, there were objects being thrown and neighbors' lights flickering on. It descended into chaos pretty quickly. The police were called, only adding to the melee. The rest of their group had scattered, leaving Niall and Harry alone to deal with the mess. 

Which is why they're sitting in a jail cell right now, after being told they needed to "cool their heels." It was all a bit of a blur. 

"Well the old coot deserved it. Who doesn't like Christmas carols?" Niall shot back, looking just as disgruntled. "Besides, there was no need to start through fruitcake. That shit hurts."

"Maybe if you had just listened to him and-"

"Oh now this is my fault? What about you, you skinny little shit, you didn't do anything-"

"Well, Niall, I'm sorry that I have a sense of decency and-"

"Decency? What the fuck, Harry, how could you-"

Before their yelling could get too much louder, there's a loud clang and both of them jump, eyes wide. "Shut up, the pair of ya! You keep it up and you'll be in here until Christmas Day!" one of the guards says, scowling at them through the bars. Harry really doesn't like the look of the menacing look club in his hand, either.   
As he storms off, Harry slumps back against the wall. "Sorry," he mutters, drawing his knees up. 

Niall punches his shoulder and leans into his side. "No, I'm sorry. You're right. I shouldn't have mouthed off." They share a smile and lapse into a companionable silence. The drunk two cells down is snoring loudly, and they can hear the vague sounds of commotion somewhere near the entrance they'd been brought through earlier. 

"You know, one day we're going to think back on this and laugh. Maybe over a beer or something. It'll be a good story to tell the grandkids," Niall says with a grin.

"Dear god I hope so," Harry says, snorting out a laugh.

**Author's Note:**

> Like it? Love it? Please let me know here or over on [Tumblr](http://www.hazandlouwho.tumblr.com)!


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